Minnesota United vs. Chicago Fire Betting Preview – MLS, October 14, 2020

Minnesota and Chicago clash for a cross-conference matchup on Wednesday, October 14, with the Loons sitting four points ahead of the Fire in the Supporters’ Shield standings.

Having beaten DC United on Sunday, Chicago has now won three of their last five games. However, Minnesota has lost just one of their previous five outings, so this is destined to be an intriguing battle between two in-form teams.

I assess the bookies’ odds before giving my Minnesota United vs. Chicago Fire prediction and betting pick.

The leading online sportsbooks view Minnesota (2.20) as the favorite to win on Wednesday, but the bookies have clearly taken Chicago’s (3.10) recent run of promising results into account when pricing up this matchup.

The odds for the draw (3.30) are nothing to write home about here, but with both teams enjoying a series of similar results lately, they may be worth considering.

If it wasn’t for a string of frustrating draws in recent weeks, Minnesota would almost certainly be higher up the Western Conference. The Loons have been held by Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake, and Nashville SC in the past month. But at least they are not losing too many games, right?

Adrian Heath’s men have only suffered one defeat in their previous five outings, with a 2-0 victory over FC Cincinnati keeping them firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish. The Loons remain fifth, although ninth-place Houston is only four points behind.

Only three sides in the West have drawn more games than Minnesota this year, and two of those teams find themselves in the bottom four. But when you consider that only four sides have lost fewer games than Heath’s men, they shouldn’t have any problems qualifying for the play-offs.

Not so long ago, the play-offs would have been a distant dream for Chicago. A run of one win in seven games after the MLS is Back Tournament saw the Fire plummet down the Eastern Conference, but three wins and one defeat in five games since then have lifted the Illinois club up the table.

3 straight wins at Soldier Field ? pic.twitter.com/eGXmtUTDo6

— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) October 12, 2020

Chicago’s revival started with a 4-0 crushing of Houston last month, with a victory over Atlanta United coming shortly after. Raphael Wicky’s men suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City last week, but they bounced back quickly with a well-deserved win against DC United on Sunday.

It could be argued that Robert Beric has been the driving force behind the Fires’ resurgence. The Slovenian striker netted in five straight games across September and October, although I don’t think it would be fair to single out one player’s efforts. Indeed, the entire team has upped their game.

Minnesota has undoubtedly been the more consistent of the two teams this year, but it is difficult to ignore Chicago’s recent form. Wicky’s men are playing with new-found confidence at the moment, and the Loons could struggle to tame the Fire on Wednesday.

It is bound to be difficult for Chicago to come away from Allianz Field with all three points, but I’m confident the Fire can take a point back to Illinois.